U.S.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

MAGAZINE

DEPARTMENT BATTLES WORLD SLAVERY

JANUARY 2008 >>>

CONTENTS JANUARY 2008

10
Department Inner-View
Q&A with Director General Harry K. Thomas.

16
Post of the Month: Cotonou
Friendly Beauty.

Plumbing the Depths

22
Icebreaker maps U.S. continental shelf
FEATURES
8 Reserves of Expertise
ON THE COVER
POLAD Reserve Corps assists military operations
This nine-year-old girl makes
overseas. bricks all day, seven days a
week. She and her family
were sold to the owner of a
brick-making factory.
Photograph by Kay Chernush
14 Answering the Call
Local staff at posts worldwide come to Baghdad.

24 Need to Know
Streamlined clearance process pays off.
COLUMNS
28 Soothsayers' 60th
2 Direct from the DG
Intel bureau uses anniversary for new vision.
3 In the News
35 State of the Arts
30 Office of the Month: G/TIP
Department office fights trafficking in persons. 36 Safety Scene
38 Appointments
38 Retirements
39 Obituaries
40 The Last Word

30

08
 D.G. HARRY K. THOMAS
More Civil Service Opportunities in 2008
I would like to wish all of you a happy,
healthy and productive new year.
This month, I would like to salute the
Civil Service employees at the Department
and the work they are doing to help us
advance our diplomatic goals. The Civil
Service is the backbone of our work in
Washington, providing expertise and conti-
nuity on issues from the intricacies of arms
control to financial planning. In addition,
more than 200 Department Civil Service
employees are currently serving at posts
around the world, and they are doing the
same job that Foreign Service officers do
on a daily basis. When I was in Bangladesh,
for example, our public affairs officer was a
Civil Service employee. He provided a daily
message on what America was trying to do,
distributed scholarships to Muslim
children, worked in madrassas, reached out
to universities and was very well received.
Our Civil Service colleagues have impor-
tant skills that we must take advantage of
now and in the future. We are committed
to developing the skills of this important
segment of our workforce. To that end, we
are organizing the 2008 Mid-Level Civil
Service Rotational Program to give CS
employees a broader understanding of the
Department’s mission, and in 2008, we will
work to find even more ways to give them
opportunities for development at all levels.
I encourage all Civil Service employees
to consider participating in our growing
array of mentoring options, particularly
“Our Civil Service colleagues have
important skills that we must take
advantage of now and in the future.”
2 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008
situational mentoring. Because I have
both been mentored and served as
a mentor, I recognize the importance of
this activity. When I mentored a CS
employee, I learned as much from him as
he learned from me.
Some of you may be aware of the
Department’s partnership with the Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery–Masters
in Business Administration program with
Webster University on Navy Hill. This fall,
two additional graduate degree programs
were introduced: International Relations
and Health Administration. The programs
are open to all employees and family
members.
In 2008, we will be rolling out a new
pilot program for Civil Service employees
called Civil Service Employee Development
Opportunity that should offer interesting
short-term cross-training experiences. The
concept was originally developed by the
Environmental Protection Agency and has
been successfully implemented by NASA. It
has been recognized as a best practice by
the Council for Excellence in Government.
CSEDO is a Web-based program
enabling managers and supervisors to
advertise special project opportunities
open to all employees. Projects are one-
time-only efforts of short-term duration
with specific objectives and start and end
dates. The opportunities will be posted by
the host bureau to an internal Web-based
community site, and interested volunteers
may apply online after supervisory
approval.
In these challenging times, we must be
committed to an environment in which all
members of the Department community
are encouraged to pursue developmental
opportunities. Such an environment is
critical to keeping talented employees in
the Department and to developing the
skills they need to contribute their full
measure to fulfilling the Department’s
mission.
We welcome your suggestions via
unclassified e-mail at “DG Direct.” ■
NEWS The U.S. Embassy in Rangoon
is the 50th diplomatic facility
completed by OBO since 2001.

Fifty and Counting

Burma Embassy Marks Milestone for Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations
In September, the Bureau of Overseas under the leadership of its director and beyond repair.
Buildings Operations completed its 50th chief operating officer, retired General “The critical need is to move our diplo-
new facility in six years, the new U.S. Charles E. Williams, OBO has conducted matic personnel out of harm’s way,” said
Embassy in Rangoon, Burma. Since then, an accelerated program to replace and General Williams. “We reorganized from
three more new facilities have been reinforce Department facilities. Prior to the ground up to fast-track the delivery of
completed, including in Algiers, Algeria, the start of the program, an independent new facilities that today are instrumental
and a new embassy compound and annex task force found the majority of overseas in Secretary Rice’s Transformational
in Managua, Nicaragua. Since 2001, facilities were insecure and antiquated Diplomacy goals.”

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 3

Former
Ambassadors
Visit Canada
The Council of American
Ambassadors sent 14 former U.S.
ambassadors on a mission to
Ottawa, Canada, in October. The
delegation met with Canadian
government and civic leaders,
business persons and students at
three universities to learn more
about the situation in Canada and
planned to report its findings to
the White House and State
Department.
The ambassadors who partici- Members of the delegation gather to discuss their findings.
pated and their former postings
were Keith L. Brown (Denmark, Lesotho), Charles E. Cobb, Jr. and will have to do so for land travel after the summer of 2008. The
(Iceland), Sue McCourt Cobb (Jamaica), Richard M. Fairbanks III delegation and Stockwell Day, Canada’s minister of public safety
(at-large), Bruce S. Gelb (Belgium and director of the U.S. Informa- and emergency preparedness, discussed the Canadian government’s
tion Agency), Jay Niemczyk (Czechoslovakia), Ogden Reid (Israel), proposal to delay implementation of the passport requirement at
Arthur Schechter (Bahamas), Michael G. Sotirhos (Greece, land-border crossings to avoid disruptions to trade that could slow
Jamaica), Robert D. Stuart, Jr. (Norway), Timothy L. Towell the Canadian and American economies.
(Paraguay) and Leon J. Weil (Nepal). “I understand both sides of the issue,” said Ambassador
“The students showed their depth and breadth of knowledge in Schechter. “We must be mindful not to impede this important trade
the questions asked,” said Ambassador Towell. “None of the relationship while implementing measures that protect our national
questions really attacked U.S. foreign policy; rather, they questioned security.”
how we expected a particular issue to evolve.” The Council of American Ambassadors is a nonprofit,
Canadian officials gave their views on the U.S.-Canadian nonpartisan association that educates the public on policy issues
relationship and how to enhance it. Americans and Canadians now through fact-finding missions, conferences on international issues
must carry a passport when traveling to the other country by air, and a biannual journal.

Foundation Offers Scholarships for Foreign Service Children

Scholarships and fellowships are available student’s admission to Yale or remaining in contact information, resumé, most recent
for the 2008–2009 academic year for children good standing. Undergraduates may receive transcript and one-page statement of
and grandchildren of Foreign Service up to $5,000. There is no restriction as to the academic goals, work experience, awards and
officers, active or retired, to study at The field of study, but if there are many nonacademic achievements to DACOR
Hotchkiss School and Yale University. These applicants, students pursuing master’s Bacon House Foundation, Attn: William C.
awards, which have a March 14 application degrees in foreign affairs–related fields Hamilton, 1801 F Street NW, Washington,
deadline, are sponsored by the Diplomatic receive preference. DC 20006. Applicants for graduate
and Consular Officers, Retired, Bacon House To apply, students should send a copy of fellowships should include a page outlining
Foundation and made possible by a bequest the parent’s or grandparent’s most recent career goals. More information is available
from Ambassador Louis G. Dreyfus, Jr. Foreign Service appointment or promotion from Kasia Helbin-Travis at (202) 682-0500,
Hotchkiss will select one qualified document, a brief letter of interest with full ext. 17, or prog.coord@dacorbacon.org.
enrolled student for a $5,000 scholarship.
Applicants should contact the Director of
Financial Aid, The Hotchkiss School,
Lakeville, CT 06039-0800, providing
evidence of a parent’s or grandparent’s
Foreign Service status.
Awards to Yale students are based on
merit and will be made by the foundation in
consultation with Yale. Award applications
are to be filed at the time of application for
admission, and awards are contingent on the

4 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008

 Colonel Yori Escalante cuts the Marines'
birthday cake as Department Counselor
Eliot Cohen looks on.

DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES MARINE CORPS’ BIRTHDAY

Recognizing the 1,500 Marines who
guard U.S. embassies worldwide and the
150 active-duty, retired, reserve and former
Marines who work in the State Department,
the Department celebrated the Marine
Corps’ 232nd birthday in November with a
cake—cut by a sword—and a speech by
Eliot Cohen, a senior Department official.
Cohen said he had been in Iraq’s Anbar
Province two weeks earlier, where the work
of Marines has helped make “Anbar as close
to peaceful as Iraq can get.” Cohen holds
the title of counselor to the Department
and is the Robert E. Osgood Professor
of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins
University’s School of Advanced
International Studies.
Referring to Marine successes and the
58-year history of embassy Marine security
guards, Cohen said, “We are deeply, deeply
grateful to you.”
The event was organized and funded by
State Department employees affiliated with
the Marine Corps, led by Marine Colonel
Yori Escalante, deputy director for
programs in the Bureau of Political-
Military Affairs’ Office of Weapons Removal
and Abatement.
The ceremony included the reading of
birthday messages from the Marine
commandant and, in Marine tradition, the
13th commandant, World War I hero Major
General John Lejeune. American and
Marine Corps flags were provided by the
Marine Corps Embassy Security Group
from Quantico, Va., and music was
provided by a brass quintet of the
President’s Own, the United States Marine
Corps Band, from Washington, D.C.

State Stair-Climbers
Aid Cancer Research
In November, four Department employees
participated in the 6th annual “Go Vertical
Chicago” stair-climb at the Sears Tower,
the longest indoor vertical stair-climb in the
world—103 stories and 2,109 steps. They
raised $6,000 for the Damon Runyon Cancer
Research Foundation. They are, from left,
Miranda Longstreth of the Office of
Management, and Shari Wagner, Maribel Pulido
and A.J. De Lucia of the Bureau of Information
Resource Management.

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 5

Assistive
Technology
Center Opens
In Main State
Director General Harry K. Thomas cut
the ribbon in October for a facility in
Main State that offers employees with
disabilities a place to try the assistive
technologies that help them overcome
limitations in deskbound jobs. The equip-
ment includes computer keyboards that
have keys printed in Braille or that fit the
user’s hands more ergonomically.
The Reasonable Accommodations
Center in the Foggy Bottom area “is
going to be good,” said visitor Alison
Burke, a council member of the Disability Employees Recognized for Formation
Action Group, an organization of State
Department employees. Burke said she Of Foreign Assistance Office
already has a computer that converts In November, Henrietta H. Fore, director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and adminis-
text into speech. trator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, hosted a reception and
At the center’s inauguration, vendors awards ceremony for State Department and USAID employees who were integral to
displayed assistive equipment, including
the launch of the Office of the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance. More than 100
a device the size of a digital camera that
takes pictures of pages of text and employees received an Interagency Special Act Award and Certificate of Appreciation
converts the text to spoken words. The for their involvement. The office was established in April 2006 as the umbrella organ-
camera costs $1,995, and its software is ization for leading the rationalization, consolidation and coordination of
$1,000, under General Service government-wide foreign assistance policy, planning and budgeting.
Administration–schedule pricing.

Senior Diplomats Emphasize Technology, Broad Approaches

A panel of six senior diplomats—Under
Secretary Nicholas Burns and five of his
predecessors as under secretary of state for
political affairs—advised Foreign Service
officers in October to prepare for a world
requiring multilateral, multiagency and
multidisciplinary approaches and wider
use of information technology. They spoke
in the Marshall Auditorium to a group of
250 Foreign Service officers.
On national security “you’re part of a
bigger process, one that has considerable
breadth” beyond the State Department,
advised Robert Kimmitt, now the deputy
secretary of Treasury. He spoke with his
colleagues on a panel chaired by current
Under Secretary Burns.
Arnold Kanter, under secretary from
1991 to 1993, noted the “huge military”
aspect and economic and environmental
components of national security, but said
the necessary multiagency approach is
challenged because the power of
governments has been diminished by
“non-state actors,” such as terrorists having
no national affiliation.
Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering also
called for integration, for instance, between
the efforts of the Department and U.S.
Agency for International Development. A
former ambassador to Russia and Israel,
Pickering cautioned against permitting the
Middle East to be the sole focus of U.S.
diplomacy, saying the United States must
make partners of Russia and rising powers
China and India. He also noted the impor-
tance of information technology, and
especially a future secure BlackBerry hand-
held e-mail device, which he said will let
FSOs work in the field but easily communi-
cate with their ambassadors.
Taking that idea a step further, Marc
Grossman, who was also once director
general of the Foreign Service, suggested
FSOs be given a BlackBerry on graduating
from their A-100 course at the Foreign
Service Institute and “use it throughout
their careers.” He said the new Embassy of
the Future report calls for the Department
to increase its technology, training and
number of employees.
The number of Department employees
is “not large enough to do the work the
President and Congress want us to do,”
Burns agreed, arguing that the size of the
Foreign and Civil Services and of USAID
must be increased if the State Department
is to meet the many increased responsibili-
ties demanded by national leadership.
Speaking of what he termed the younger
FSOs’ facility with IT, Burns said they
“have a huge amount to teach us about
technology.” He also urged young FSOs to
offer their superiors ideas and feedback on
policy and management issues.
Some things don’t change, however.
The seniormost member of the panel,
David Newsome, who began his State
Department service in 1947 and who was
under secretary for President Carter,
said the world regions he struggled with
as a senior diplomat 25 years ago—the
Middle East, Horn of Africa, Afghanistan,
Cuba and the two Koreas—are roughly
the same today.

6 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008

 O RE
BEF

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JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 7

Reserves of Expertise
Sarah Wolf (seated left) participates in
Small Boat Operations training with
the Belize Coast Guard during her
Reserve POLAD deployment.
To strengthen collaboration at the inter-
section of defense and diplomacy, in April
2007 the Department initiated the Foreign
Policy Adviser Reserve Corps. Its aim is to
establish a cadre of experienced Department
of State officers—Foreign and Civil
Service—available for short-term
deployments to provide regional and func-
tional expertise to U.S. military forces
engaged in field training exercises and
routine and crisis-response operations.
In the eight months since its creation, the
POLAD Reserve Corps has grown to include
approximately 90 volunteers. The
Departments of State and Defense see the
program as facilitating more effective collab-
oration and coordination.
Ideally, POLAD Reserve Corps members
POLAD RESERVE CORPS ASSISTS MILITARY OPERATIONS OVERSEAS
8 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008
have regional and functional expertise, and
experience both in Washington and overseas.
They provide timely, actionable foreign
policy advice to military commanders and
clarify information received from the
country team and Washington. They also
know the assets and capabilities of
interagency partners, understand the context
within which a significant military program
or activity is taking place and offer the
Department direct access to the military
commander.
Shortly after the program’s establishment,
Reserve Corps member Sarah Wolf joined
the High-Speed Vessel Swift in support of its
mission as the prototype for the U.S. Navy’s
Global Fleet Station Initiative. Wolf, a Civil
Service foreign affairs officer in the Bureau
BY BRIGADIER GENERAL LYN SHERLOCK
of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of
Regional Security and Arms Transfers,
became an integral part of the Swift team.
“I participated actively in command
briefings, led discussions on Panama’s
domestic political scene, steered dialogue on
U.S.-Panama relations and offered updates
on regional political-military and security
PHOTOGRAPHS: U.S. NAVY; (OPPOSITE PAGE TOP): CAPT. TOM PLACE
issues,” she said. She added that her success
depended greatly on coordination with the
U.S. embassies in the Caribbean and Central
America. Each country team visited by the
Swift vessel contributed a Department
employee who served as a “ship-rider,” trav-
eling with and assisting the vessel and crew.
Reserve Corps participant Jonathan
Lalley, also a Civil Service foreign affairs
officer, recently completed a 90-day tour
Above: Lt. Tim Anderson (left) and Jonathan Lalley (right) visit with Djiboutian children at a U.S. government–funded school project in Balbala, Djibouti, during
Lalley’s Reserve POLAD tour supporting the Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa. Below: Lt. Commander Julie Hrdlicka (left) and Jonathan Lalley visit
Obock, in Northern Djibouti, during Lalley’s Reserve POLAD tour.
supporting the Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa at Camp
Lemonier, Djibouti.
“Serving with our men and women in uniform gave me a better
understanding of how the military operates and afforded me the
opportunity to explain the importance of building enduring partner-
ships that challenge and inspire others,” he said.
At CJTF-HOA, Lalley assisted with the planning and operations of
the command, and his insights and coordination with country team
members across East Africa helped ensure the proper alignment of
diplomatic and defense initiatives. He also worked with the CJTF-
HOA strategic communications team to help communicate the task
force’s message to the local population.
In the past several months, POLAD Reserve Corps members from
across the Department have taken advantage of a range of career-
broadening training and development opportunities.
“We want Reserve POLADs to take advantage of program oppor-
tunities that fit their interests and availability—and help them hone
their knowledge, skills and abilities,” explained Major Ernesto
Hernandez, one of the program’s managers.
Several program participants recently benefited from training
identified specifically for Reserve POLADs. Five participants from
the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the Bureau of European and
Eurasian Affairs and the U.S. embassies in Beirut and London
attended the Joint Special Operations University’s Interagency
Collaboration Course. A corps member from the Bureau of South
and Central Asian Affairs attended the 101st Airborne Division’s
pre-deployment exercise as the unit prepared to deploy in support
of Operation Enduring Freedom. Participants from the Operations
Center and the bureaus of Diplomatic Security and Consular
Affairs attended the Joint Interagency Operations Planning Exercise
hosted by the Joint Forces Staff College.
“For diplomats who’d like to test whether they are as comfortable
in the back of a C-130 as they are in a pinstriped suit, the POLAD
Reserve Corps is a perfect fit,” said Tim Sears, deputy director of
PM’s Office of International Security Operations. “It’s a great chance
to get into the field and to gain foreign policy experience you just
can’t gain from behind a desk.”
The POLAD Reserve Corps welcomes participation by full-time
foreign affairs officers and Foreign Service officers who are available
for temporary-duty assignments worldwide ranging from a few
weeks to several months. Candidates must obtain supervisory
approval prior to deployment. Interested volunteers may register
online at http://t.state.gov/t/pma/prc/db/signin.cfm. For more infor-
mation on the POLAD Reserve Corps, call (202) 736-7079, e-mail
POLADReserve@state.gov or find “PM POLAD Reserve” in the
Global Address List. ■
The author, an Air Force officer on detail assignment as the senior mili-
tary representative to the Department, is the director of PM’s Office of
International Security Operations.
JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 9
 PHOTOGRAPH: DAVID L. JOHNSTON

10 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008

Q AAmbassador Harry K. Thomas,
WITH DIRECTOR GENERAL HARRY K. THOMAS
confirmed as the Department’s director
general of the Foreign Service and director
of Human Resources in September, looks
out on a different world from his sixth
floor office than the one he saw in 1984
when he joined the Foreign Service.
This new, modern and often dangerous
world has 22 diplomatic posts with unac-
companied tours, including Afghanistan
and Iraq. This world is wired for instanta-
neous communications from all points,
with expectations of equally rapid
responses. U.S. diplomacy and diplomats
in this world face transformation from
traditional centers of power and concern
to more volatile and often less under-
stood regions.
According to many, the Department
faces this new world and its challenges
with a stressed and understaffed work
force. As the Department’s personnel
leader for Foreign and Civil Service and
Locally Employed Staff, Ambassador
Thomas assumes direct responsibility for
solving many of those challenges and for
creating a positive atmosphere for
recruiting, developing and nurturing the
Department’s future professionals.
Ambassador Thomas prepared for this
huge challenge during his 23 years in the
Foreign Service by practicing diplomacy in
many different parts of the world and in
several positions within the Department’s
administrative nerve centers. He served
posts from India to Zimbabwe, Peru to
Nigeria. He has been a senior watch officer,
deputy director and director of the vital
Operations Center, and spent time in the
White House as director for South Asia at
the National Security Council.
Immediately before assuming his
current duties, Ambassador Thomas was
special assistant to the Secretary and the
executive secretary of the Department.
Ambassador Thomas shared with State
Magazine editors his vision of the current
and future world for the Department
work family.
SM: You have been in this job about two
months now. How’s it going?
Director General Thomas: It’s going
great. I’m excited about all the things we
are doing. It’s really important to note that,
while I am the director of the Foreign
Service, I am also the director of Human
Resources. I am responsible for all of our
employees—eligible family members,
Civil Service, Foreign Service officers,
specialists and families, everybody who is
in our State Department family. I take that
very seriously.
I’m excited about the things we’re trying
to do to assist them. We already do many
things to help families through the Family
Liaison Office. I would encourage people
to visit FLO or contact them. We have an
unaccompanied tour officer to assist
employees on unaccompanied tours and
their family members. We do have a
program to help spouses get jobs, but we
also offer much more, including emotional
support. For instance, through FLO’s
contract with MHN (formerly Managed
Health Network), which is presently funded
JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 11
by the Cox Foundation, we provide a 24/7
toll-free number and counseling sessions for
family members of employees serving at any
of the unaccompanied posts. We provide up
to three sessions per family member per
presenting issue, wherever they live.
We’re also working with Diplomatic
Security to design a new retirement badge
to allow retirees to enter the Department in
a dignified manner. Ruben Torres, director
of the Human Resources Executive Office,
and Information Resource Management are
working together on using electronic tech-
nology that will make it easier to hire and
transfer employees from post to post in a
streamlined manner. We’re looking at ways
to help our Locally Employed staff after
they’ve retired.
SM: How do spouses of returning FSOs
receive support? Does the Department actu-
ally reach out to them or do they have to
reach out to you?
Director General Thomas: FLO reaches
out to spouses, especially in the Washington
area, through e-mail, telephone and other
means. We want to increase our face-to-face
contact with spouses who are not in the
Washington area, and clearly we should take
a fresh look at that. In the meantime, many
of our services for those outside the area are
available online.
SM: How did your experience as ambas-
sador to Bangladesh and as the
Department’s executive secretary prepare
you for this job?
Director General Thomas: In both posi-
tions, I had to deal with a wide variety of
people, not just a segment of a mission or a
“I am very proud and pleased that
we have staffed Iraq with volunteers.
I salute these men and women.”
segment of the Department. I dealt with
people of all skills, talents and motivations
and I learned how to get the best out of
each person. I believe that each person has
something to contribute, and the challenge
is finding a way to motivate that person to
do his or her best.
As ambassador and as executive secretary,
I spent a lot of time on personnel issues. I
worked to convince those who felt their jobs
were not valuable that, in fact, they could
provide crucial service to the Department.
SM: How have you seen the Department
change over the years?
Director General Thomas: I’m excited
12 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008
about the Foreign Service, particularly
because we now draw people from all 50
states. While there is no one definition of
diversity, the fact that we have people from
the 50 states in the Foreign Service shows
that we don’t care where you went to school
or where you came from. We care that you
pass the exam and have a passion for
learning and people.
I want to see these changes reflected in
our Civil Service hiring as well. I’m very
proud that we have the largest cohort of
Presidential Management Fellows, and that
through Deputy Assistant Secretary Linda
Taglialatela and others we implemented the
Career Entry program for people straight
out of college.
But our several thousand other Civil
Service personnel are also equally talented.
We need to provide them opportunities for
training and education that will allow them
to do their jobs better.
SM: How has technology changed the
Department?
Director General Thomas: Let me
respond with a story: At my first post, we
acquired a Wang computer. Most of us were
contemptuous of computers then. In 1984,
we felt we didn’t need them.
How our lives have changed. We now
have BlackBerrys and keyfobs, and I think
we need to take better advantage of
technological advancements. Rather than
tying Foreign Service control officers to
the physical embassy as they arrange the
schedules and travel with high-level
visitors, they should be able to work from
where they are, perhaps even from home, if
they have a keyfob or BlackBerry—saving
valuable time.
At the same time, some of the old ways
weren’t so bad. Dean Acheson didn’t need a
BlackBerry to work with General Marshall
on the Marshall Plan, for example. So, while
we have to take advantage of this wonderful
technology, we also need to step back to
look and reflect before we act.
SM: What are your goals for the Bureau
and the Department?
Director General Thomas: I want to
expand our recruitment pool. I am hopeful
that our new Foreign Service selection
process will help us recruit a more diverse
Foreign Service. It will certainly help us to
better assess the “total candidate,” taking a
comprehensive look at all the knowledge,
skills and abilities that a candidate could
bring to the Foreign Service. We particularly
are interested in competitive candidates
who already have skills in critical languages.
Secretary Rice has asked for additional
positions because we don’t have sufficient
people to staff our embassies and we don’t
have enough people to support them. Secre-
tary Powell started a great training
program, and Secretary Rice has taken it
further with an emphasis on languages. We
need a larger training complement to
improve management skills and language-
training programs so we can better engage
the populace overseas. We want a Foreign
Service where everybody can become profi-
cient in languages and take all mandatory
training courses, particularly those required
by their respective Career Development
Program, but we need more people to
ensure the necessary training complement.
As for our more than 200 Civil Service
personnel serving overseas, we need to take
better advantage of their skills when they
come back. I don’t want to lose them to
other government agencies. I want to
increase opportunities for office
management specialists.
SM: You mentioned pilot programs. The
Mid-Level Civil Service Rotational Program
seems to be going well.
Director General Thomas: It is working
very well. We are also working on a Senior
Executive Service Preparation Program to
prepare Civil Service employees for the
Senior Executive Service. These are excellent
opportunities to grow skills and, as such, we
encourage supervisors to allow their people
to enter these programs and ensure that
their jobs will still be there.
The Senior Executive Service Career
Development Program is another program
designed to prepare people to enter the
Senior Executive Service. I think, once more
people in the Civil Service see these
programs and the benefits to their
colleagues, more will take advantage of them.
SM: What kinds of challenges are you
facing?
Director General Thomas: The greatest
PHOTOGRAPH: DAVID L. JOHNSTON
challenge is resources. The Secretary has
asked Congress for additional resources,
and we hope Congress responds favorably.
Secretary Rice convinced the President to
send pay modernization (now called
compensation reform) legislation to the
Hill. She and others worked this issue very
hard last year and came close to having
Congress enact it. They’ve been working it
again this year, and although the budget
climate is increasingly difficult, she will
continue to press for it, as will I.
I am appalled that FSOs who go overseas
lose 18.6 percent of their pay, which, unfor-
tunately, resonates into the future through
Thrift Savings Plan contributions. FSOs
need retirement benefits that are credible
and robust. This is a fairness issue.
SM: What are your views on the pending
baby boom retirement surge? What can you
tell us about recruiting efforts, in light of
the Department’s overall needs?
Director General Thomas: Fifty percent
of the Foreign Service has less than seven
years’ experience, and roughly one-third of
our Civil Service employees will be eligible
to retire within the next five years. To fill
Civil Service jobs, we have recruiters in
Washington who go to colleges and employ-
ment fairs. We recruit people from a wide
variety of areas, and we will continue to do
that. We’re looking at people who think of
public service, and we’re competing against
other government agencies. Again, that is a
challenge.
The good news is that the attrition rate
for the Foreign Service is only 4 percent, the
lowest of any government agency. People
must love this life and these opportunities
and challenges, because Foreign Service
personnel do not want to leave. For Foreign
Service recruitment, we have a new exam
and 17 diplomats in residence at many
institutions. Last year, BusinessWeek rated
the Department just behind Disney and
Google as the Most Desirable
Undergraduate Employer.
For many people coming to the Depart-
ment, money isn’t the primary motivator.
That’s why education and training are so
important, to show employees there is
opportunity in the Department and that
opportunity continues once they start
working here.
SM: What steps is the Department taking
toward remaining family-friendly?
Director General Thomas: Let me give
you an example. I recently went to a pizza
party for spouses of those serving in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Their greatest concern was
what we could do to help their husbands
after they came home. FLO and MED have
put together programs to help families after
the employees return from an unaccompa-
nied post.
Another example is how I recently gave a
medal of recognition to a young woman
whose mom was posted in Iraq. We need to
recognize that these children are also
affected when their moms or dads are
stationed overseas. We need to do whatever
we can to make it easier for them in high
school, help them with college applications
and so on.
I think we are becoming more family-
friendly every day. The options that family
members have today are far different than
they were when I joined the Foreign Service
in 1984. We want to be as family-friendly as
Fortune 500 companies are, and to do that,
we are going to need more resources. But I
want to hear from all parts of the
Department, and I plan to travel monthly
and will continue to attend coffee klatches
and pizza parties with spouses, and have
brown-bag lunches with employees from all
of our bureaus.
SM: What final message would you like
to give to employees?
Director General Thomas: I am very
proud and pleased that we have staffed Iraq
with volunteers. I salute these men and
women. I am confident that we will staff all
of our unaccompanied posts with
volunteers. I will ask the entire State
Department for assistance and ideas as we
go forward to fill all of our positions in
2008 and beyond. I would like to thank
employees for their hard work and service.
Together, we are making a difference.
Important work is being conducted at all
posts. Without diminishing the importance
of the work done by those who are not
serving at our most difficult posts, I would
like to thank those who have stepped
forward to meet the Department’s needs. I
recognize that the decision may not be easy,
and the service may not be easy, either. But,
and I believe most who have served in these
posts would agree, it has been worthwhile
and rewarding.
These are exciting and challenging times.
The Department has adapted to changing
conditions before. I am confident that, with
your help, we will successfully do so again. ■
JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 13
Among the LES at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad are, from left, Raymond Huwae, Rovve Mendoza, Khasan Mamutov, Liliya Shikhbadinova,
DCM Patricia Butenis, Nargiza Ergasheva, Khusan Mamutov and Andrey Lyashenko.
Answering the Call
LOCAL STAFF AT POSTS WORLDWIDE COME TO BAGHDAD BY REAGAN MILLER
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad employs Foreign Service officers,
Civil Service employees, temporary direct-hires, military personnel,
contractors, locally hired Iraqis and Locally Employed staff from
posts worldwide. The contributions of the temporary duty LES are
crucial to the embassy’s smooth operation and many key programs.
Between May 2006 and December 2007, more than 45 TDY LES
from 40 embassies volunteered to serve in Baghdad for three- to six-
month tours. The positions they fill would normally be staffed by
Iraqi LES, but Iraqis are endangered by their association with the
U.S. government.
Filling a Gap
TDY LES fill this gap and face numerous challenges. For instance,
many LES have spent years advocating U.S. foreign policy at home.
Now they find themselves explaining to a sometimes skeptical audi-
ence their decision to work in Iraq.
Katalin Biro came to Baghdad in June 2007 from the U.S.
Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, where she has worked in the infor-
mation resource center for 17 years. She left behind a husband and
two children who, she said, at first thought she was making a
mistake. But after visiting her family and sharing stories and pictures
from her experience in Iraq, she changed their minds.
14 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008
“I think they are now proud of me,” she said.
Another volunteer, Nargiza Ergasheva, came from the
immigrant visa unit at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
When a cable calling for consular volunteers was released in April,
Ergasheva saw a challenge.
“I wanted to learn how to develop my self-confidence under these
special circumstances,” she said.
Biro also saw her tour as a chance to develop her personal
strength in difficult situations.
She told herself: “I am 45 years old; let me see how I can manage
my everyday life in a war zone,” she said.
Biro works in the cultural affairs section with the International
Visitors Program, where she helps facilitate educational exchange
PHOTOGRAPHS: U.S. EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD
programs for Iraqis. During these trips, Iraqi citizens from various
professions are able to spend three weeks in the United States shad-
owing an American in the same line of work, gaining experience to
bring back to their jobs.
Seeking Change
Other volunteers came to Baghdad hoping to effectuate change.
Svetlana Breca of Kosovo was in Washington, D.C., on September
11, 2001, and saw a city gripped by fear, she said.
 “The town was empty, Metro had
stopped running, it was horrible,”
she recalled.
“Terrorism doesn’t just threaten
the United States,” she continued. “I
wanted to come here and help build
democracy in Iraq, and help fight
the war against terrorism.” Breca
works as the Webmaster of the
embassy’s Web site.
Lasse Lukka has worked at the
U.S. Embassy in Helsinki since
December 2001. Thankful for his job
in the office of information resource
management, Lukka thought it was
time to return the favor.
He came to Baghdad “to give
something back,” he said.
Two years and three applications
later, Lukka arrived in Baghdad for a
six-month on the Information Visiting with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, center, are Khasan Mamutov, at left, and Khusan Mamutov.
Systems Center’s help desk. He will
return to Helsinki with an important addition to his resumé: The Wonderful Experience
U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s network is 10 times the size of that at his Antonio Saetta, an Italian who has worked at the U.S.
home post. Consulate in Naples for 27 years, describes the embassy in
Just like everyone else, TDY LES have concerns about personal Baghdad as a big family.
safety in Iraq. “It is a wonderful experience, and I am so thankful I had the
“I had my concerns about the environment,” said Mustafa opportunity to work here,” said Saetta, who recently finished a six-
Mustafa, a U.S. Embassy in Amman employee who specializes in month tour in the Financial Management Office as a cashier,
economics. “It does have its challenges, but it’s not impossible to live voucher-examiner and accountant.
here. There are sacrifices, but I think it’s worthwhile.” Khasan and Khusan Mamutov, twin brothers from Tashkent who
The community that has developed from employees’ spending 10 are serving as motor pool drivers, said there are many opportunities
to 12 hours a day together has become a valuable support system for and benefits at Embassy Baghdad.
the LES. Linh Chi Nguyen of Ho Chi Minh City said she was warned “There are a lot of fun activities here,” one brother said. “I go to
about spare living conditions and the risk of attacks before she came the gym every day, sing most weeks at Karaoke night, and we are
to Baghdad, but was pleasantly surprised when she arrived. even starting to take swing dance lessons.”
“Everything turned out great—way better than I expected,” she The Mamutov brothers have both extended their six-month tours
said. “Everyone here is in the same difficult situation, and we all take to 12 months.
good care of each other.” All of the TDY LES came to Baghdad for their own reasons and
Nguyen, like many other TDY LES, has extended her tour from six brought experience in their fields, which has been an asset to the
to 12 months and even said she would come back to Baghdad again. embassy. For instance, Nguyen had worked at the U.S. Consulate in
Ho Chi Minh City since its opening in 1999. Her experience setting
up the nonimmigrant visa unit there was invaluable in launching
Embassy Baghdad’s consular section.
Mustafa’s experience as an Arabic-speaking TDY LES in the
embassy’s economics section was also helpful. A Jordanian, Mustafa
said he believes his country’s proximity to Iraq, the common
language and the sheer number of Iraqis in Jordan allow him to
better understand the situation in Iraq.
“My five years of experience at Embassy Amman gave me an
understanding of the American culture and system, and I feel that I
am able to bridge the American and Iraqi sides at meetings,” he said.
The challenges TDY LES face in Baghdad are unlike any others,
but many have found their experiences fulfilling and have high
hopes for their tours.
“It’s an exciting time in Iraq,” Mustafa said. “The economy is just
starting to open up. I hope in 10 to 20 years I can look at Iraq and
say, ‘I contributed to that.’” ■

The author is a press officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 15

Cotonou
By Gayleatha B. Brown, Lyngrid Rawlings, Sheryl Cowan,
Kitty and Guy Andang, and Firmine Houemavo
 POST OF THE MONTH>>>
Cotonou

Sea Dancers of Ganvie Village on Stilts

furiously row their vessel on Lake Ganvie.
Photo by Martina Boustani.

COUNTRY>>> Benin

CAPITAL>>> Porto-Novo (official capital; seat of

government is Cotonou)

TOTAL AREA>>> 112,620 square kilometers

APPROXIMATE SIZE>>> Slightly smaller than

Pennsylvania

GOVERNMENT>>> Republic

INDEPENDENCE>>> August 1, 1960 (from France)

POPULATION>>> 8 million

LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH>>> 53 years

LANGUAGES>>> French (official), Fon, Yoruba and

tribal languages

CURRENCY>>> Communaute Financiere

Africaine franc (XOF)

PER CAPITA INCOME>>> $1,100

IMPORT PARTNERS>>> China (46.6 percent),

France (7.5 percent) and
Thailand (6 percent)

EXPORT COMMODITIES>>> Cotton, cashews and

shea butter

EXPORT PARTNERS>>> China (20.9 percent),

Indonesia (7.7 percent)
and India (7 percent)

INTERNET COUNTRY CODE>>> .bj

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 17

 N estled on West Africa’s Gulf of Benin between Nigeria and Togo on
the east and west, respectively, and Sahelian countries to the north, the Republic
of Benin is a developing country notable for its political stability and commitment
to democracy. The United States has an excellent relationship with Benin,
especially since Benin’s 1991 shift to democracy from a military government.

Ganvie fishermen cast their net.

PHOTOGRAPHS: (ABOVE): MARTINA BOUSTANI;

(OPPOSITE PAGE TOP): KOFFI A. BENOIT;

The small but productive U.S. Mission offers its staff safe water and medical care, erratic electricity and
great responsibility, particularly entry-level officers and dependence on one crop—cotton—for revenue.
Foreign Service specialists, and has promotion opportu-
nities. Reflecting this, five members of the embassy team Orphanage Assisted
(BOTTOM): DORA HALL

(four officers and the Ambassador’s office management Despite the challenges, the embassy’s 200 team
specialist) were promoted in 2007. members excel in and out of the office. For instance,
Working conditions are challenging, however. Most General Services Officer Neill G. Krost won a prestigious
Beninese are farmers and suffer from illiteracy, lack of Secretary of State Award in 2007 for outstanding

18 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008


volunteerism. He worked hard to improve the welfare of 250 chil-
dren at the Abomey orphanage, which is four hours from Cotonou.
Krost organized the diplomatic and expatriate communities for a
first annual Christmas drive and delivered a large truckload of
clothing, books, toys and furniture to the orphanage. He also
persuaded the mayor of Abomey to provide electricity and water to
the facility. Krost and the orphanage successfully wrote a proposal
for the Ambassador’s Self-Help Program to fund the construction
Above: Prior to a speech to the National Assembly,
Ambassador Brown, center, met with Simon-Pierre
Adovelande, MCA-Benin national coordinator at left; and
Mathurin C. Nago, the National Assembly’s president. Left:
Visitors to the Pendjari Game Park find themselves among
amazing natural wonders. From left, Javier Araujo Sr., Erika
Araujo, Javier Araujo Jr., Gabriela Araujo, Alfredo Araujo,
Emmanuel Sika, Rosalind Sika and Dan Hall.
of a new dining/multipurpose room. He also developed
a long-term business plan for the orphanage, created a
Web site and raised $20,000 to fund various improve-
ment projects.
Friendly People
Benin’s people are friendly, and the country is beau-
tiful, offering good food and numerous attractive tourist
possibilities. One of the most popular tourist attractions
is the lake village of Ganvié—“the Venice of Africa.”
Built on stilts, it was established in the 16th and 17th
centuries by the Tofinu people to protect themselves
from slaving raids.
The city of Abomey, meanwhile, is a unique reminder of a
vanished kingdom. From 1625 to 1900, a succession of 12 kings
ruled the Kingdom of Abomey, and all but one building their palaces
within the same area. These Royal Palaces of Abomey are on the
United Nations’ list of World Heritage sites.
The quiet historical city of Ouidah is unique for its association
with the slave trade. Ouidah has a memorial to those enslaved, and
there are also places of interest connected with the Voodoo religion,
JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 19
 English International School
children and nurse Nana Yao,
far right, pay a visit to the
Slave Memorial in Ouidah.

which originated in Benin. These include the Temple of the Python
and the Maison de Brézil, a museum that displays works showcasing
Voodoo culture and the African Diaspora. The Sacred Forest of
Kpassè Zoun has huge ancient trees, sculptures and woodcarvings
that represent Voodoo deities.
Near Cotonou is Porto-Novo, which boasts a number of
attractions, including the first museum established in Benin, the
Ethnographic Museum. This museum contains cultural artifacts
from all over the country, many connected with Porto-Novo’s
history, and has a superb collection of ritual masks, musical instru-
ments and traditional tools.
For sports and leisure, Americans enjoy playing softball on
Saturday mornings in Cotonou at the Marina hotel, which has
outdoor swimming pools, floodlit tennis courts, a playground, a
nine-hole golf course, beach volleyball and a soccer field. Afternoons
of volleyball and barbeques are regularly scheduled at the embassy.
Cotonou boasts two horseback riding clubs, and children’s soccer
and tennis are offered at the Club of the Nations.
popular Dantopka Market, one of the three largest markets in
West Africa.
On weekends in Cotonou, a good place to relax is Fidjrosse beach,
where you can find a free spot on the sand or rent a small hut-type
shelter for the day. However, it is not safe to swim in the Atlantic
Ocean here. Another popular destination in Cotonou is the Artisan’s
Village, where various vendors sell typical art from Benin and West
Africa, including wood and metal sculpture, drums, woven and
painted tapestries, and jewelry.
To address the lack of U.S.-accredited schools in Cotonou and
ensure quality education for mission children, the mission is
creating a “virtual school” to offer enrichment courses on subjects
not in the middle and high school curricula in Cotonou. This
enrichment program will provide families and students in grades
PHOTOGRAPHS: (ABOVE): GABRIELA R. ARAUJO; (OPPOSITE PAGE TOP):
9–12 the tools and support to meet educational goals. The program,
offered via the Internet, uses course management applications,
multimedia resources and videoconferencing.
Programs Make a Difference
LAURENT ADJOGAN; (BOTTOM): FRANK SOVIDE

Many Activities
At post, monthly and biweekly events include the Women’s Book
Club, a Ladies’ Dining Night Out, Thank Goodness It’s Friday
events, Thursday evening Jazz Club, Sunday morning progressive
brunches and movie nights. The American Cultural Center regularly
organizes cultural events and seminars for the American and Beni-
nese populations, members of civil society and journalists.
The post’s community liaison office organizes city-orientation
tours for newcomers to shopping centers, important sites and the
The U.S.-Benin partnership involves such shared goals as investing
in people; fostering economic growth and development; combating
corruption, trafficking in drugs and people, and terrorism;
protecting human rights; and promoting regional stability. U.S.
programs in Benin include those of the Millennium Challenge
Corporation, U.S. Agency for International Development, Peace
Corps, Departments of State and Defense, National Oceanographic
and Atmospheric Administration, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and African Development Foundation.

20 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008


USAID programs support the education and health sectors,
promote democracy and gender equality and fight violence against
women and child trafficking. The Ambassador’s Girls Scholarship
Program, conducted under the Africa Education Initiative, has
provided 3,384 scholarships for underprivileged girls, especially
orphans and those who are physically disabled or living with
HIV/AIDS. In 2008–2009, the program will support 400 boys.
Earlier programs resulted in new laws to protect children, women
and families. Anti-child-trafficking efforts led to the successful
return of children to their families and creation of transit centers
throughout Benin. Hundreds of civil society organizations have
received assistance in fiscal management and procurement processes
to strengthen decentralization and reduce corruption. Benin has
been selected for the President’s Malaria Initiative and the Women’s
Justice and Empowerment Initiative.
The MCC developed the Millennium Challenge Account-Benin
program by involving all elements of Benin’s society. The five-year,
$307 million Benin Compact of October 2006 promotes access to
markets and land and the financial and justice sectors. Benin’s
continued eligibility for MCC support depends on its meeting selec-
Above: Peace Corps volunteer Malaika Schiller (center, with micro-
phone) conducts an interactive presentation at the post’s recent
HIV/AIDS awareness seminar. Left: Foreign Service Nationals at the
post’s information technology training seminar include Systems
Manager and Trainer Djosse Atchade, first row left.
tion criteria, principally for anticorruption efforts.
The United States trains members of the Beninese Armed
Forces for regional peacekeeping missions and provides
equipment. Its programs also focus on training BAF
members for work with civil society, members of the press,
civil authorities and institutions of government on
peacekeeping and antiterrorism efforts.
40th Anniversary
The Peace Corps celebrates 40 uninterrupted years in Benin
in 2008. The 98 volunteers support the U.S. goal of investing
in people and the Millennium Development goals for educa-
tion, health, community health and HIV/AIDS. Other Peace Corps
program areas involve decentralization, development of the private
sector and promoting information technology and gender equality.
Some volunteers have provided training in environmental protec-
tion and natural resource management. Others have improved local
planning and management of community health development serv-
ices, activities and projects. They have implemented latrine projects
to improve village sanitation, trained more than 9,000 people and
2,500 service providers in AIDS education and prevention, and
taught English to 7,586 secondary school students.
The Department’s Self-Help, democracy and human rights,
refugee and humanitarian assistance programs support grassroots
projects, election observers, the fight against female genital mutila-
tion, the publication of laws and anti-child-trafficking efforts. ■
Gayleatha B. Brown is the ambassador; Lyngrid Rawlings, manage-
ment officer; Sheryl Cowan, Peace Corps director; Kitty Andang,
USAID program officer; Guy Andang, community liaison officer; and
Firmine Houemavo, protocol assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou.
JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 21
PLUMBING THE DEPTHS
ICEBREAKER MAPS U.S. CONTINENTAL SHELF BY BRIAN VAN PAY
In August 2007, a team of 24 scientists and more than 70 U.S.
Coast Guard crew members departed Barrow, Alaska, aboard the
Healy, the largest Coast Guard icebreaker. Over the following four
weeks, scientists used a multibeam echo sounder to collect more
than 10,000 kilometers of bathymetric data on the Chukchi Border-
land, a large undersea continental shelf stretching more than 500
miles from the Alaskan shore.
The Healy’s mission involved the State Department and advanced
the causes of science and diplomacy. The bathymetric data collected
are used to create three-dimensional maps of the Arctic Ocean floor.
Above left: The view from the bow of the ship at sunset. Right: Over the course of the expedition, the Healy’s scientists sighted 22 polar bears.
The data revealed previously unknown underwater seamounts,
glacial scours created during a past ice age and large craters thought
to be formed by gas seeps emanating from the ocean floor. But this
mission was also part of a larger effort to collect data to determine
the limits of the extended continental shelf of the United States.
Under the Law of the Sea Convention, every coastal nation auto-
matically receives 200 nautical miles of its continental shelf.
However, a nation is entitled to its continental shelf if it extends
beyond 200 nautical miles—also known as the ECS—if it meets
certain criteria. These nations have sovereign rights over their ECS,
including over the exploration and exploitation of its natural
resources. The Administration is seeking Senate approval of U.S.
accession to the Law of the Sea Convention.
Largest ECS
One study shows that the ECS of the United States covers an area
of at least 1 million square kilometers—about twice the size of Cali-
22 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008
fornia. Other locations where the United
States has an ECS include the East Coast,
Gulf of Mexico and Bering Sea. The
continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean,
however, is the largest ECS. The latest
mapping effort of the Healy, the third since
2003 dedicated to mapping the ECS, was led
by the University of New Hampshire and
funded through a grant from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
As a maritime geographer from the Bureau of Oceans and Inter-
national Environmental and Scientific Affairs, I served on the Healy
to monitor incoming data from 4 p.m. to midnight. I also provided
policy guidance on the Law of the Sea Convention.
When not at work, the Healy’s scientists and crew ventured onto PHOTOGRAPHS: BRIAN VAN PAY; (ABOVE RIGHT): DALE CHAYES
the ship’s bow, braving temperatures as low as 20 degrees and
viewing spectacular scenery. The Healy sailed past a varied landscape
filled with ice of different ages and forms whose colors ranged from
a blinding white to greasy black to turquoise. Although the Healy
did not encounter another vessel during its journey, we saw 22 polar
bears and more than 40 seals. There was 24-hour daylight at the
beginning of the cruise, but several minutes of darkness were soon
added each day; by the time the Healy returned to Barrow, the sun
was below the horizon for about three hours a night.
No ‘Ice Liberty’
As a precaution, the Healy carries enough food to last the winter,
The author launches an expendable bathythermograph off the
Healy’s stern to measure temperature as the probe falls through
the water. The data are used to calibrate the multibeam echo
sounder, which is used to map the sea floor.
should it become icebound. This year, however, the Healy did not
find a significant solid ice pack, as was routine in past expeditions
there. The area’s bright-blue, multiyear ice and former pressure ridges
were visibly disintegrating. Because the Healy was less impeded by
ice, it collected more than three times the data expected and ventured
farther north than planned. But these conditions meant the Healy’s
crew and scientists could not take advantage of an “ice liberty” to
leave the ship and walk on the Arctic ice.
Life on the ship was comfortable: Plenty of activities kept the
crew and scientists occupied, including bingo, movie nights,
nightly science talks and a well-equipped gym. There were three
meals a day, plus midnight rations or “mid rats,” which ensured no
one went hungry. There also was no risk of seasickness while in the
ice, although the ship occasionally was jostled as its diesel engines
powered through the ice field.
More than two dozen countries, including the United States, are
working to define their respective continental shelves. Australia,
Brazil, Ireland, Norway and others have finished collecting and
analyzing data, and have compiled their findings into submissions
for the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which
was set up under the Convention to provide the recommendations
that give legal certainty to nations using them to establish their
continental shelves. Russia’s much-publicized planting of its flag
on the seafloor at the North Pole in August brought attention to
this process, although the action has no legal significance.
Delimiting the ECS of the United States will be a 10-year
process requiring more missions to the Arctic and other areas
where the United States has an ECS. The Department is leading the
multiagency ECS Task Force, which has significant participation
from NOAA, the U.S. Geologic Survey, the U.S. Navy and the
National Science Foundation, among other agencies. ■
The author is a maritime geographer with the Bureau of Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 23
 Security Assistant Michelle Gibson
enters case file documents into the
Report Management System.
Need to Know
STREAMLINED CLEARANCE PROCESS PAYS OFF BY DAVID BATES
Every State Department employee prob-
ably has a horror story or two about the
security clearance process. For many years,
the process was slow and non-transparent.
Indeed, it often took six to nine months to
complete a background investigation. Such
delays often resulted in new hires seeking
employment elsewhere and daily complaints
from Department senior management.
Today, thanks to reforms initiated by the
Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s Office of
Personnel Security and Suitability, the
process has been transformed into a highly
efficient, award-winning program.
On average, PSS processes more than
24 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008
25,000 background investigations each
year, and that workload has been growing
exponentially. On any given day, PSS opens
an average of 100 new cases while
completing thousands of other pending
investigative leads.
Despite this high volume, the clearance
process has improved steadily since
November 2004, when a background investi-
gation averaged 122 days to complete.
Today, an investigation is completed within
an average of 65 days, with interim
clearances issued within two weeks. PSS now
processes 15 percent more cases per year
than in 2004 in 40 percent less time and at
$113 less per unit.
Much of this success is due to PSS’s use of
automation. PSS’s deployment of the Office
of Personnel Management’s electronic Ques-
tionnaires for Investigations Processing
PHOTOGRAPH: BUREAU OF DIPLOMATIC SECURITY
application—the electronic version of the
Standard Form 86 Questionnaire for
National Security Positions—allows users,
once their information is entered into the
system, to easily update their SF-86 security
forms at the time of their five-year reinvesti-
gation. The e-QIP system also provides case
managers with more rapid access to
applicant data. This reduces the likelihood
of “fat-fingering” errors in paper
documents. In fact, PSS has
developed such efficiency with INVESTIGATION VOLUME AND TIME
the e-QIP process that it has
mentored other agencies, such
as the Federal Bureau of Inves-
tigation and Drug Enforcement
Administration, in using the Case Volume, 2003-2009
online system.
30,000
In addition, PSS automated
its investigative processes with
24,500 25,250
the implementation of the 25,000 23,569
online Report Management 22,485 22,070
System, a Web-based program 20,286 20,559
Number of Cases

that provides all authorized 20,000

users with real-time access to
pending investigations.
Further, to improve the effi- 15,000
ciency of database checks at
other agencies, PSS recently
entered into a memorandum of 10,000
agreement with the FBI and
the Terrorist Screening Center
5,000
that allows PSS employees to
work at those locations and
assist in reducing the backlog 0
of their background checks. To 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
see how this arrangement has
Note: Cases for 2008 and 2009 are estimated
improved the process, consider
that in July 2007 there were
1,300 cases pending FBI file
reviews. Today, that backlog
has been reduced by 86 percent
to 180 pending cases.
PSS’s new business practices Average Case-Processing Time
have greatly improved
background investigation Fiscal Years 2006-2008
processing times despite the 120
increasing volume of new hires,
while also meeting the most
immediate Departmental 100
hiring needs. For example, all
contractors working for the
Department in the high- 80
Number of Days

priority posts of Iraq and

Afghanistan are vetted by PSS,
which now investigates and 60
adjudicates those cases within
an average of 52 days.
PSS responded last summer
40
when the Bureau of Consular
Affairs was under pressure to
reduce a backlog in the
20
processing and issuance of
passports. In response, the
Department hired more than
423 new employees and 2,675 0
OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
contractors, but before they
could begin work, all had to
undergo a background investi- All Cases 2006 All Cases 2007 All Cases 2008
gation by PSS. From June to

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 25


In October of 2006, PSS was recognized
as the top security and suitability office
in the federal government.
October 2007, PSS investigators reviewed
thousands of clearance applications,
interviewed more than 20,000 references
and successfully conducted 2,716
background investigations, permitting CA to
augment its workforce. CA reduced the
passport backlog by September 2007.
PSS also granted 1,087 interim clearances
from May through October 2007, which
allowed employees to be hired while their
clearances were being finalized. Average
processing time for these background inves-
tigations was just 58 days for employees and
41 days for contractors.
PSS has garnered several awards in
recognition of these successes. In
November 2005, DS honored PSS Director
James C. Onusko with its Diplomatic Secu-
rity Employee of the Year award for helping
turn DS’s security-clearance process into
one of the fastest and most efficient within
the federal government.
In October 2006, PSS was recognized as
the top security and suitability office
in the federal government with the Office
of Personnel Management Guardian
Award, given for PSS’s innovative and cost-
effective approach to conducting personnel
security investigations.
In October 2007, the White House named
DS Senior Coordinator for Security
Infrastructure Donald R. Reid, whose office
oversees PSS operations, a winner of the
2007 Meritorious Senior Professionals and
Executives Presidential Rank Award. The
White House cited Reid’s leadership in
transforming the security clearance process
into a transparent, customer-centered, Web-
based system.
As the threat environment necessitates
tighter government security, the number of
individuals needing clearances to conduct
government business will likely continue to
rise. The PSS team stands ready to tackle
that challenge. ■
The author is the Web site manager and a
writer in the DS Public Affairs Office.

James Onusko, center, reviews an adjudication

case file with Personnel Security Specialists
Susie Thomas (left) and Carmen Holt.

PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT): BUREAU OF DIPLOMATIC SECURITY; (OPPOSITE PAGE): CORBIS

26 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Security
Clearance
FAQ
PSS responds to many inquiries about the security
clearance process every month. Here are some of
the most common:

Do you lose your clearance if you seek

mental health counseling and/or treatment?
Seeking mental health treatment does not jeopardize
a person’s security clearance, but a mental health
condition could be a security concern if it affects a
person’s judgment, reliability or trustworthiness.

What can an employee do if his or her

clearance is suspended or revoked?
When the Department believes an employee’s
clearance should be revoked, he or she is provided a
written explanation and afforded an opportunity to appeal.
Based on the employee’s written appeal, DS may restore
the clearance or continue the revocation action. When the
latter occurs, the employee is notified and informed of his
or her right to appeal, in writing and in person, to a panel
whose decision is final.
Does an employee’s security clearance expire after
five years?
A security clearance does not expire, but Top Secret clear-
ances are subject to reinvestigation every five years, and
Secret clearances are subject to reinvestigation every 10
years. If a periodic reinvestigation is not completed on this
schedule, the clearance remains active, but another agency
is not required to accept the clearance because it is not
supported by an updated investigation.
Does a person maintain his or her security clearance
after leaving the position for which the clearance
was granted?
A security clearance is tied to a position, not an individual.
Once a person departs a position that required the
clearance, that individual no longer holds an active
clearance. Rather, the person maintains eligibility for
a clearance.
Will past drug use prevent the granting of a
clearance?
Any use at all of an illegal drug or misuse of a legal drug is
potentially disqualifying. However, there is a great difference
between experimental drug use that occurred a couple
years before applying for a security clearance and any
illegal drug use conducted after obtaining a security
clearance. Any indication that drug use continues or may
recur after a person has obtained a clearance is a serious
security concern. Expressed or implied intent to continue
using drugs, or failure to complete successfully a drug treat-
ment program, could both be disqualifying.
If an individual’s interim clearance is denied, will that
person probably not get a full clearance?
There are several reasons an interim clearance may be
denied but that do not reflect negatively on the applicant.
The denial of an interim clearance simply means that the
entire security investigation needs to be conducted before a
security clearance determination can be adjudicated.
Are those with dual citizenship denied a security
clearance?
Possessing dual citizenship is not an automatic bar to
a security clearance. Dual citizenship raises the security
concerns of foreign influence and foreign preference,
and must be thoroughly investigated before making a
determination.
For more information about the security clearance process,
Department of State employees may visit the PSS Intranet
site at http://pss.ds.state.gov. In addition, PSS established
a Customer Service Center to respond to applicant and
employee security clearance–related inquiries. The CSC can
be e-mailed at securityclearance@state.gov or called at
(571) 345-3186 or (866) 643-4636.

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 27

Soothsayers’
th
Intel Bureau Uses
Anniversary For
New Vision
By Sarah Olivia Takats
60
The Bureau of Intelligence and Research just
finished celebrating its 60th anniversary as the nation’s
oldest civilian intelligence organization. A direct
descendant of General “Wild Bill” Donovan’s Office of
Strategic Services, which gained renown during World War II,
INR arose from the OSS’s large, respected Research and
Analysis Branch, which was transferred to the State Department
when the OSS was disbanded. INR began permanent operation PHOTOGRAPHS: (ABOVE): CORBIS; (OPPOSITE PAGE): ED WARNER

in early 1947—five months before the creation of the CIA.

The bureau provides policymakers the best possible informa-
tion and analysis on a timely basis, coordinates intelligence
operations on behalf of the Department and enables U.S. diplo-
mats to identify threats and opportunities. With its mix of Civil
Service and Foreign Service analysts, INR’s depth of knowledge
is unmatched in the intelligence community. INR analysts
average about 12 years of experience on their accounts.
Known for questioning the prevailing wisdom and for
demanding facts, INR has made impressive and timely contri-
butions to foreign policy. An INR analyst, for example,
prepared President Kennedy for his first television interview
Members of the INR Watch staff include, from left, Conrad Tribble, Chris Campbell, Marc Porter, Jeanne Gallo, Armenta Sheler, Anaida Hass and
Elizabeth Campbell (seated).

after the Cuban missile crisis. During the needed data from open-source information effectively. Finally, a metrics team is
Vietnam era, INR courageously stuck to its sites. Will they continue to tolerate the costs developing applications to measure
analysis of events on the ground, despite incurred by the intelligence community to performance more effectively and identify
powerful challenges. More recently, a get the remaining 20 percent? Furthermore, needed resources.
famous INR footnote on a National Intelli- limitations in the handling and use of classi-
gence Estimate was lauded by a fied information now impair the utility of Future Challenges
congressional commission. intelligence analysis. INR’s anniversary celebration culminated
To fulfill its mission in a radically with a symposium titled “Designing Intelli-
A Hidden Jewel changing context, INR is using its gence for an Exponential World.” The
“All of the coordinating agencies, with the anniversary to consider the implications of keynote speaker, Under Secretary R. Nicholas
exception of INR, agreed that Iraq was demographic and information technology Burns, congratulated INR on its 60 years of
reconstituting its nuclear program,” said the shifts and produce a plan called “INR 2.0.” extraordinary performance and offered
report of the Commission on the Five INR working groups have been some thoughts on future foreign policy chal-
Intelligence Capabilities of the United States advancing projects to modernize the bureau lenges. Moderated by the Hoover
Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. and devise a strategy that ensures early adap- Institution’s Bruce Berkowitz, the panel—
Such insight may explain why Washington tation to change. which included Moises Naim, editor-in-chief
Post Columnist David Ignatius has said, One group overhauled INR’s training and of Foreign Policy magazine; David J.
“People should take a careful look at one of professional development system, and Rothkopf, president and CEO of Garten
Washington’s hidden jewels—the State another is working on “e-Intel,” a program Rothkopf; and David R. Young, founder of
Department’s tiny Bureau of Intelligence and that will make intelligence directly available Oxford Analytica—discussed global trends
Research.” He cited a “culture that supports to policymakers throughout the Harry S and what INR must to do to remain focused
dissent and demands expertise.” Truman building. A third group assessed the and relevant.
Although secretaries of state and federal possibilities for improved INR performance INR is one of the 16 members of the intel-
officials within and outside of the with an array of new analytic tools, and a ligence community under the Office of the
Department have long depended on INR to fourth reviewed INR’s products and formats, Director for National Intelligence, created by
explain world events, a great track record providing recommendations for how to use Congress to “transform our capabilities in
does not guarantee future relevance. Policy- Web portals and new software to develop order to stay ahead of evolving threats to the
makers can now get 80 percent of their and disseminate its products more United States.” INR takes that mission to
heart in terms of the wide range of issues it
Policymakers can now get 80 percent of their needed covers and the way it is transforming itself to
better meet customer needs. ■
data from open-source information sites. Will they
continue to tolerate the costs incurred by the The author is a special assistant in the Bureau
intelligence community to get the remaining 20 percent? of Intelligence and Research.

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 29

O F F I C E O F T H E
Modern
Abolitionists
DEPARTMENT OFFICE FIGHTS TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
BY SOLMAZ SHARIFI
After recruiters painted a beautiful
picture of foreign job prospects, Aye Aye
Win, a Burmese national, and some 800
Burmese migrants willingly traveled to a
shrimp-farming and -processing factory
and were forced to work day and night,
never paid and forbidden from leaving the
remote barbed-wire-fenced compound.
When she tried to escape, she was tied to
a pole in a courtyard, beaten and denied
food or water.
After being freed by Thai police in 2006,
Aye Aye (not her real name) met Mark P.
30 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008
M O N T H
Lagon, ambassador-at-large to combat
human trafficking, at a Thai government
shelter in 2007. On his return, Lagon
was sworn in as the head of the Office
to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in
Persons.
Reflecting on Aye Aye’s story before a
crowd of NGOs, Hill staffers and Depart-
ment officials, Lagon asked: “Beaten and
tortured, starved and humiliated: Is this
not slavery?”
What drives G/TIP is the real-world
brutality and trauma that victims suffer.
Senior Coordinator for Reports and Political
Affairs Mark Taylor meets with a recently freed
bonded laborer in the latter's newly built home
in rural Tamil Nadu state, India.
Mission-Driven
G/TIP is seen as a single-issue office
driven by a mission, and, increasingly,
young Department staff are attracted to
G/TIP for this and its mix of bilateral
engagement and constructive work on
human rights.
G/TIP’s cause is now widely recognized,
PHOTOGRAPHS: (ABOVE): OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS;
not the least because of its annual report on
trafficking, mandated by a 2000 law. The
U.S. government estimates some 800,000
people are trafficked across international
borders, and millions more are trafficked
within their own countries. They are
coerced into indentured servitude or
bonded labor, bought and sold into prosti-
tution, domestic servitude or farm labor
and captured to serve as child soldiers.
Approximately 80 percent of
(OPPOSITE PAGE): ED WARNER
transnational victims are female, and up to
50 percent are minors. (Most females are
trafficked into commercial sexual exploita-
tion.) These numbers do not include
millions of victims trafficked within their
own national borders, most for forced or
bonded labor.
One of the newest offices in the Department (it opened in At a Glance
November 2001), G/TIP has been recognized by New York Times
columnist Nick Kristof as “one of the most effective units in the Office name
U.S. government.” Under Secretary for Democracy and
The Three Ps
Global Affairs’ Office to Monitor and
G/TIP’s emphasizes what it calls “the three Ps”: prosecuting
Combat Trafficking in Persons
traffickers, protecting and assisting victims and preventing trafficking
from occurring or continuing. Symbol
G/TIP employs 23 Civil Service personnel, three Presidential G/TIP
Management Fellows, four contractors and one Foreign Service
officer. It publishes the Secretary’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report
Office Director
on 164 countries, manages roughly 200 international grants, raises
public awareness and coordinates federal efforts to combat human Ambassador Mark P. Lagon
trafficking domestically and abroad by chairing an interagency group
mandated by a 2003 law. The staff, three of whom started the office in Staff size
2001, are essential to understanding why the U.S. government is 31
considered the strongest international voice on this issue.
The TIP report ranks countries into one of four categories (Tier 1,
Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch List and Tier 3) based on their compliance with
Office Location
the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking. Much of 1800 G St., N.W., Washington, DC
the report’s information is collected during on-the-ground visits by
G/TIP staff, who venture into isolated regions to uncover hidden Web site
routes and trafficking tactics. www.state.gov/g/tip and
In part because of the report, www.gtipphotos.state.gov
• Cambodia shut down a red-light district where 10-year-olds were
openly sold and prostituted and “cheap girls” were advertised on

The staff of G/TIP’s Reports and Political Affairs unit pose with the cover of the latest report. They are, from left, Gayatri Patel, Barbara Fleck, Rachel Yousey,
Brittany Brown, Sally Neuman and Jennifer Schrock Donnelly.

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 31

O F F I C E O F T H E M O N T H

Above: G/TIP’s special assistants and senior staff are, from left, Jennie Miller, Carla M. Bury, Amy O’Neill Richard, Andrea Smail and Paula Goode, G/TIP’s
deputy director. Below: The staff of G/TIP’s Public Outreach and Diplomacy unit are, from left, Solmaz Sharifi, Abraham Lee, Eleanor Gaetan and Elyse Bauer.

the Internet. and HIV incidence with partial funding Worldwide, G/TIP has partnerships with
• Japan slashed the number of entertain- from a G/TIP grant. The study found that American NGOs, grantees from India to
ment visas issued to certified Filipina HIV prevalence among women trafficked Mexico, governments from Sweden to
dancers, singers or other entertainers from Nepal and prostituted in India is 38 Ghana and international organizations such
because traffickers were forcing many of percent and exceeded 60 percent among girls as the International Labor Organization.
these women into prostitution. prostituted prior to 15 years of age. To cultivate programs, G/TIP monitors a
• The United Arab Emirates eliminated G/TIP also cultivates new models for program’s progress through in-person visits
the exploitation of South Asian boys as rescuing, rehabilitating and repatriating and by insisting that grantees identify what
camel-racing jockeys and paid for the victims. For example, G/TIP and the Inter- works best and share that information with
repatriation of more than 1,000 boys to national Finance Corporation in 2006 others. G/TIP also fosters lesson sharing,
their home countries. created jobs to employ human trafficking such as a project for Latin American NGOs
After release of the 2007 report, Jamaica survivors in developing countries based on a on sex trafficking and a seminar it will host
pledged to step up prosecutions this year, model that provides counseling, job training in 2008 on how community- and faith-
Saudi Arabia said it intended to adopt the and employment opportunities to based NGOs can best help victims and
2000 UN TIP Protocol and Taiwan vowed to trafficking victims and at-risk women. prevent human trafficking.
strengthen its antitrafficking laws. (The 2007
report is at www.state.gov/g/tip.)
From a TIP report’s release in June
through the following February, G/TIP staff
travel to engage foreign governments on
antitrafficking objectives in the report and
collect fresh information. The most impor-
tant destinations are Tier 3, Tier 2 Watch
List and Tier 2 countries in the most recent
TIP report deemed at risk of falling to lower
categories in the coming year.

Grants Provide Aid

PHOTOGRAPHS: ED WARNER

G/TIP’s International Programs section

manages a variety of grants, which range
from as little as $25,000 to upward of $1
million. For instance, the Journal of the
American Medical Association published the
first study on the link between sex trafficking

32 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008

The staff of G/TIP’s International Programs unit are, from left, Katie Bresnahan, Rebecca Billings, Amy LeMar, Shereen Faraj, Mark Forstrom, Katrina Fotovat
and Jane Nady Sigmon.

The fight against human trafficking requires the active participa-

tion of individuals and groups. For instance, the Polaris Project,
which aids women and children prostituted in downtown
Washington, D.C., recently advised an interagency group G/TIP
HOW TO FIGHT
convened on the migration of pimps and traffickers from the streets
to online outlets due to recent police crackdowns. G/TIP exchanges
MODERN-DAY SLAVERY
information daily with U.S.-based NGOs such as the Polaris Project, If you suspect slavery or commercial sexual
the International Justice Mission, Free the Slaves, World Vision, the exploitation, notify the police or call the U.S.
human trafficking hotlines: 1-888-3737-888,
Protection Project and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. 1-888-428-7581, 1-800-THE LOST or
G/TIP also has consulted on movies, television shows and books, 1-866-DHS-2ICE.
including the Lifetime Network’s film Human Trafficking. More than
80 embassies held screenings of this movie for foreign audiences. Write your government representatives to ask
for stronger laws.
U.S. Action Host a human-trafficking-awareness party with
Addressing trafficking in the United States, G/TIP’s director chairs beautiful handicrafts (www.madebysurvivors.com)
an interagency group and speaks out. that empower slavery survivors.
“In addition to offering advice to other governments on how to Donate to an NGO rescuing and protecting victims.
live up to the basic standards of the UN Protocol on TIP, efforts at
home are invaluable to our diplomacy,” Ambassador Lagon said. Organize a local march through an organization
like Global March (www.globalmarch.org) to raise
“These actions show we have a problem, are trying to make strides, awareness in your community.
hold ourselves to account and have models to share as partners.”
Domestically, the Department of Justice funds 42 local Establish a local chapter of a national anti-human-
antitrafficking task forces in 25 states, and the Department of Health trafficking NGO or volunteer with an NGO.
and Human Services has an outreach and educational campaign and Fight sex tourism by asking local travel agencies,
a toll-free hotline (1-888-373-7888) in multiple languages. hotels and tour operators to sign the Code of
“This campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking to Conduct for the Protection of Children in Travel
find more victims is a quintessentially American response,” Ambas- and Tourism, www.thecode.org.
sador Lagon said. “It’s an exceptionally important effort because we Talk to someone about human trafficking or take
are helping the most degraded, most exploited, most dehumanized them to see a film about it.
people in the world.”
Source: The Emancipation Network

The author is a public affairs specialist at G/TIP.

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 33

O F F I C E O F T H E M O N T H

Ambassador Mark P. Lagon, G/TIP’s director, center-left, meets with the chief prosecutor of the Macau Special Administrative Region during a recent trip
to East Asia. During his travels aboard, Ambassador Lagon presses for strong human trafficking laws, prosecutions of trafficking cases, harsh sentences
for those who commit this dehumanizing crime and better protection for human trafficking victims.

PRM REUNITES VICTIMS WITH FAMILIES

BY SONIA DENTZEL

PHOTOGRAPHS: (ABOVE): OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS;

A program funded by the
Department’s Bureau of Population,
Refugees and Migration reunites the
victims of human trafficking with their
relatives. The program resulted from the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of
2000. Working with its primary partner,
the International Organization for
Migration other U.S. agencies and
religious and secular organizations, PRM
developed a program that would reunite
the program began in early 2005, PRM
has helped reunite 103 trafficking victims,
mostly women from developing
countries, with their families. Of these, 97
chose to have their relatives join them in
the United States, and 6 returned home.
Since 1998, PRM has provided more
than $35 million to IOM to support anti-
trafficking projects overseas. Today, PRM
supports more than 40 antitrafficking
programs worldwide, including projects
protection and build the capacity of
governments and nongovernmental
organizations to provide services.
Over the next year, PRM will initiate
two important new programs with IOM.
One will help repatriate Congolese
victims trafficked to Uganda, and the
other will protect Iraqi victims of labor
and sex trafficking in Iraq and the
surrounding region. The project will also
attempt to preempt trafficking through
(OPPOSITE PAGE): JOHN BENTEL

trafficked women and the relatives they
had left behind.
The reunification program isn’t limited
to having relatives come to the United
States. It also provides victims with a safe
return to their countries of origin. Since
for the return and reintegration of
victims in Indonesia, economic rehabili-
tation programs for victims in India and
efforts to identify and return children
trafficked to work in fisheries in Ghana.
All PRM programs focus on victims’
public education campaigns and by
providing shelter for high-risk groups. ■
Sonia Dentzel is a migration policy officer
in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and
Migration.

34 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008

 STATE OF THE ARTS
BY JOHN
BENTEL

Musical Performances and Poetry Highlight Talent Show

The latest in the State of the Arts Cultural Series and
Foreign Affairs Recreation Association’s long-standing
series of biweekly performances were a talent show, a magic
show and performances of classical guitar and Native
American music.
The 2nd Annual Talent Show, which played to a capacity
crowd, was a huge success. Singing legend Barbara Pollard
opened with a song she wrote titled “I Can’t Light the Fire.”
Cynthia Andrews sang a rousing “Can’t Say No,” and Venus
Gordon recited an inspiring poem she composed. Ben Perry
Jr. sang a satisfying “Forever My Darling” by Johnny Ace, and
Dwayne Perry thrilled the audience with a lively rendition of
Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.”
During the show, Dyrone Johnson and Caryl Traten
Fisher danced to “Bessame Mucho” by Consuelo Velazquez,
and jazz pianist Ryan Bynum improvised on classic contem-
porary hits. To close the show, Steve Black and Jackie
Newton offered an entertaining interpretation of Marvin
Gaye and Tammy Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High
Enough.”
David Breth of Magictainment was the Cultural Series’
first magic performer. With the assistance of Lindy
Scarborough, he performed mind-boggling illusions and
sleight of hand.
Dr. Stephanie Browning, assistant professor of piano
at Morgan State University, offered insights into Native
American music, presenting briefings on each of the selec-
tions she played and taking questions. One piece was
Edward MacDowell’s “Indian Idyl” from New England Idyls,
Op. 62. All the selections conjured up images of a big sky
and open lands.
Classical guitarist Charles Mokotoff returned for his sec-
ond performance in the Cultural Series. A National Institutes
of Health employee, Mokotoff has been hearing-impaired
for much of his life. He played works by Bach, Scarlatti,
Mangoré, Granados and Albéniz to resounding applause. ■

The author is a computer specialist in the Executive

Secretariat. Jazz pianist Ryan Bynum tickles the ivories at the talent show.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Jan. 30 Feb. 27
Piano for Hands Erica Ovette and
Paul Pieper

Performances are on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.

in the Dean Acheson Auditorium.

JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 35

 Cold
Reality
DRESS WISELY AND WATCH
FOR DANGER SIGNS
BY TERRY CARRAWAY

PHOTOGRAPH: DYNAMIC GRAPHICS


In the winter, working outside, skiing, snowboarding,
snowmobiling, hiking, hunting and camping all involve exposure to
cold, which can lead to frostbite and hypothermia.
Surprisingly, the weather doesn’t have to be extremely cold.
Temperatures in the 50s can cause problems, particularly if mixed
with wind and moisture.
The windchill factor announced on weather reports combines
temperature and wind speed to indicate the effects of cold on the
body. For example, 35 degrees with a 30-mile-per-hour wind has the
same effect on the skin as 22-degree weather with calm air.
Moisture increases heat transfer from the body to the surround-
ing environment, leading to faster cooling. When wet or sweaty, the
body experiences additional cooling from evaporation, even at low
temperatures. Moisture also reduces the insulation properties of
most clothing.
Hypothermia literally means “low heat.” When exposed to cold,
your body tries to maintain its core temperature by reducing blood
flow to the skin and extremities. Hypothermia sets in when the body
cools faster than it can generate heat, forcing your core temperature
below safe levels. Some medications may increase the risk of
hypothermia, so consult your doctor if you will be exposed to cold
while taking new medications.
The first signs of mild hypothermia are shivering, lack of coordi-
nation, slurred speech, memory loss and pale, cold skin. The quick
treatment is to get out of the cold, generate body heat, drink warm
(not hot) sugary liquids and remove wet or damp clothing. And
despite the popular image of the Saint Bernard with a keg of brandy,
avoid alcohol and caffeine.
If exposure to cold continues and shivering stops, moderate
hypothermia is beginning and poses the risk of serious conse-
quences. Symptoms include confusion and inability to walk or
stand. Medical assistance should be summoned. Cover the body,
including extremities, and use hot water bottles or heat packs to
start warming the person.
Severe hypothermia is indicated by ice-cold skin, severe muscle
WINDCHILL CALCULATION CHART
SAFETY SCENE
stiffness and sleepiness or unconsciousness. It can be fatal and
requires immediate treatment by medical personnel.
Frostbite is the freezing of the skin or a body part. It usually
occurs when the temperature is below freezing, but can occur with
temperatures above freezing if moisture and wind are present.
Exposed skin will begin to feel cold and progress to tingling, stinging
or aching sensations. Finally, it will become numb. The skin will also
change color: first to red, then purple and, finally, very pale. The skin
will also be cold to the touch. Treatment is best performed by a
medical professional, but if that’s not possible, use warm—not
hot—water to gently warm the affected body part.
To prevent cold stress, dress warmly and wisely. Avoid overheating
and sweating, as this creates moisture in the clothing.
By wearing at least three layers, you can easily remove something
if you get too warm. The inner layer should be a synthetic material
that pulls moisture away from the skin, such as polyester or
polypropylene. The middle layer should be an insulating layer.
Down provides the most insulation, and wool is good because it
can absorb moisture from the skin and still provide insulation.
Many synthetic fibers strive to combine these two characteristics
and may be good alternatives for those allergic to down or wool.
The outer layer should be wind- and water-resistant; nylon or
Gortex work well.
Don’t forget your hat, since up to 40 percent of the body’s heat
loss occurs through the head. Insulated boots or shoes can limit heat
loss and protect against frostbite.
Take warm-up breaks to get out of the cold and wind, and drink
warm, nonalcoholic, decaffeinated liquids. Drinking will also
prevent dehydration. Though you may not feel thirsty in cold
weather, any exertion causes the loss of body fluids. Light to
moderate hypothermia may go unnoticed, so use the buddy system
when out in the cold.
Enjoy the outdoors in winter. Just make sure you are ready for the
harsh environment. ■
The author is a certified industrial hygienist with the Safety, Health
and Environmental Division.
JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 37
APPOINTMENTS

Assistant Secretary for U.S. Ambassador to Chad

International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Affairs
David T. Johnson of Georgia, a career
member of the Senior Foreign Service,
class of Minister-Counselor, is the new
Assistant Secretary for International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Previously, he was deputy chief of
mission in London. Before that, he was
the U.S. Afghan coordinator. He has been
ambassador to the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe and
also served overseas in Vancouver, Berlin
and Ciudad Juarez. He is married and
has three children.
Louis John Nigro Jr. of Florida, a career
member of the Senior Foreign Service,
class of Minister-Counselor, is the new
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of
Chad. Previously, he was acting director
of Central African Affairs and before
that diplomat in residence at the Univer-
sity of Houston and professor of
international relations at the U.S. Army
War College. His overseas postings
include N’Djamena, Conakry, Havana,
Port-au-Prince, Rome and Nassau.
He is married.

U.S. Ambassador to Yemen

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam
Michael W. Michalak of Michigan, a
career member of the Senior Foreign
Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is
the new U.S. Ambassador to the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam. Previously, he was
the U.S. senior official to the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum. Before
that, he was deputy chief of mission in
Tokyo. His other overseas assignments
include Sydney, Islamabad and Beijing.
Stephen A. Seche of Virginia, a career
member of the Senior Foreign Service,
class of Minister-Counselor, is the new
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of
Yemen. Previously, he was a visiting
fellow teaching public diplomacy at the
University of Southern California. Before
that, he was chargé d’affaires and deputy
chief of mission in Damascus. His other
overseas postings include Guatemala,
Lima, La Paz, Ottawa and New Delhi.
He is married and has three daughters.

*
Brown, R. Douglas
Cassel, Lynn L.
retirements
FOREIGN SERVICE > > >

DeRoche, Joseph L.
Dupalo, Robert J.
Hill, Heide Henrietta
Marine, Michael W.
Marjenhoff, William
Ansley
Rollins, Kathryn D.
Sharpe, Angela Bartolotta
Sulaiman, Janifer
Kennedy
CIVIL SERVICE > > >
Braibanti, Ralph Lynn
Gibson, Mary E.
Howard, Weldon
Hurley, Charles P.
Lykes, Constance E.
Myers, Walter Kendall
Orbits, Hal N.
Smith, Vera L.
Winterowd, Michele D.

38 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008


E. Avery Adams Jr., 87, a retired Foreign Service officer, died
Aug. 8 after a yearlong illness. He lived in Washington, D.C., and
was a veteran of World War II. During his 35-year career with the
Department, he served overseas in the Middle East, Far East and
Africa, and attended the National War College. He retired in 1980.
Ralph A. Booher, 87, a retired Foreign
Service officer, died Sept. 21 in Martinez,
Ga., after a long illness. He served in the
Army Air Corps during World War II. He
joined the Department in 1946 and served
overseas in Spain, Switzerland, Yugoslavia,
Norway, Liberia, Pakistan, Guinea,
Cameroon, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico and Laos. After
retiring in 1978, he worked as a U.S. embassy contractor in the
Philippines until 1991. He enjoyed golf and music.
Kay Gilstrap, 65, a retired Foreign Service officer, died Jan. 18,
2007. She lived in the Washington, D.C., area. During her 38-year
career with the Department, she served overseas in Indonesia,
Pakistan, Belgium, Kenya, England, Madagascar, India, Botswana,
Swaziland, Chad and Somalia. After retiring in 2000, she traveled,
supported the arts and became a keen environmentalist who
helped safeguard beaches. She was an accomplished writer and
poet and loved to paint and design jewelry.
F. Peter Gregorio, 71, a retired
Foreign Service officer, died Sept. 26 of
cancer. He lived in Burke, Va. He served
in the Army before joining the Depart-
ment in 1962. His overseas assignments
included Peru (where he met his Foreign
Service wife, Gertrude), Ethiopia,
Finland, Morocco, Algeria, West Germany,
Egypt and Italy. He retired in 1987.
OBITUARIES
Kenneth A. Loff, 64, a retired Foreign Service officer, died
Nov. 1 of lung cancer in Fredericksburg, Va. He served in the Air
Force before joining the Department. In a 30-year career, his over-
seas postings included Sweden, England, Russia, New Zealand,
Guatemala, Germany, South Africa and Zaire. After retirement, he
was a company executive. He enjoyed country-and-western music
and was a good auctioneer.
Edwin T. Menken, 80, a retired diplomatic courier, died
Aug. 19 of natural causes in Windom, Minn. He served in the
Marine Corps in Guam and joined the Department in 1959.
His overseas postings included Frankfurt, Panama, Manila and
Bangkok. He retired in 1991.
Ross Clayton Parr, 81, a retired
Foreign Service officer, died April 29 in
Great Falls, Va., of complications from a
stroke. He served in the Navy during
World War II and the Korean War. He
joined the Department in 1956 and retired
in 1983. His overseas postings included
Paris, Taichung, Phnom Penh, Saigon, Hong Kong, Bangkok and
Algiers. He enjoyed golf, reading and travel.
David Taylor Paton, 85, a retired Foreign Service officer, died
Oct. 9 in Sewickley, Pa. He served in the Navy during World War II
and joined the Department in 1951 as a diplomatic courier. He
served overseas in France, Germany, Thailand, Panama and for
12 years in Mexico. He was a 32nd-degree Mason.
Arthur M. “Mac” Saddoris, 69, a
senior counselor, executive coach and
organization development specialist in the
Career Development Resource Center, died
Oct. 6 of pulmonary failure in Alexandria,
Va. He joined the Department in 2002 and
reached thousands of employees through
individual counseling and coaching, popular workshops and
video conferences, all marked by his compassionate creativity.
JANUARY 2008 | STATE MAGAZINE | 39
 THE LAST WORD
Battling Slavery
The United States officially removed the
stain of slavery from its national flag more
than a century ago, but the insidious prac-
tice still exists—and thrives—in many parts
of the world. One of the Department’s
newest offices—the Office to Monitor and
Combat Trafficking in Persons—keeps this
issue in the public eye by publishing the
Secretary’s annual Trafficking in Persons
Report. It also coordinates federal efforts to
combat human trafficking domestically and
abroad and emphasizes the three P’s: prose-
cuting traffickers, protecting and assisting
victims, and preventing trafficking
wherever possible.
The struggle is daunting—the
government estimates that some 800,000
people are trafficked yearly across interna-
tional borders, and millions more are
trafficked within their own countries.
The first rule of intelligence gathering
is to get it right; the second rule is to get it
right now. Colleagues in the Bureau of
Intelligence and Research have followed
those rules for 60 years, since part of the
Office of Strategic Services was transferred
to the State Department shortly after
World War II ended. INR permanently
opened its doors for business in early 1947,
five months before the government created
the more celebrated Central Intelligence
Agency.
COMING IN FEBRUARY
>>> Civil Service Rotation’s First Year
>>> Telework Works
>>> Practicing Cultural Diplomacy
>>> State’s Crown Jewels—FSNs of the Year
... and much more!
40 | STATE MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2008
INR quietly compiled a remarkable list
of success during those 60 momentous
years. An INR analyst prepped President
John F. Kennedy for his first television
interview after the Cuban missile crisis;
INR analyses during the Vietnam conflict
consistently hit the mark; and INR input
on the Iraqi nuclear program earned praise
from the Commission on the Intelligence
Capabilities of the United States Regarding
Weapons of Mass Destruction. A
prominent Washington newspaper colum-
nist called the bureau “one of Washington’s
hidden jewels.”
Good news for anyone who ever experi-
enced the State Department security
clearance blues: The clearance process has
been steadily improving over the last three
years. Background investigations that aver-
aged a whopping 122 days to complete
back in 2004 are now completed in 65 days,
and interim clearances may be granted
within two weeks. Increased use of
automation allows Diplomatic Security’s
Office of Personnel Security and Suitability
to process 15 percent more cases per year
than in 2004 in 40 percent less time—and
for $113 less per case.
That’s remarkable progress for an office
that processes more than 25,000 investiga-
tions a year and opens an average of 100
new cases every day.
Last but never least, a final salute to our
colleagues en route to their final posting:
E. Avery Adams Jr.; Ralph A. Booher; Kay
Gilstrap; F. Peter Gregorio; Kenneth A. Loff;
Edwin T. Menken; Ross Clayton Parr; David
Taylor Paton; and Arthur M. “Mac”
Saddoris.
Rob Wiley
Editor-in-Chief
Questions? Comments?
statemagazine@state.gov
* JAN.2008

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